1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of electric ovens and more particularly to a rotatable cooking apparatus for cooking food items such as a pizza.
2. Description of the Art
In the field of food preparation and particularly cooking of pizzas, it is well known to utilize a conventional electric oven. However, several common problems are associated with using a conventional oven such as having to wait to preheat the oven to begin cooking and uneven cooking of the pizza in the oven. For example, a conventional oven often has hot spots where heat is concentrated in a particular area of the oven and this leads to overcooking a portion of the pizza adjacent the hot spot while other portions of the pizza may not be fully cooked. Often it is difficult to ensure that the crust of the pizza is fully cooked without overcooking the top of the pizza. Additionally, cooking the pizza often results in drippings of toppings and other ingredients which fall onto the surfaces of the oven.
In view of the problems associated with using a conventional oven to cook a pizza, it is known in the field of electric ovens to have an electric oven specifically designed for use in cooking pizzas or other similar types of foods. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,987 is directed to an electric oven particularly designed for cooking pizzas. In such a device, the oven includes heating coils which are supported above a base portion of the oven so that an entire pizza can be positioned between the coils for cooking the pizza. One problem with such a device is that since the heating coils extend over the entire portion of the pizza, the size or xe2x80x9cfootprintxe2x80x9d of the oven is relatively large and is not efficient for use or storage by a consumer in a kitchen environment, for example on a kitchen counter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,488 discloses a portable pizza oven which includes a fixed upper and lower casing having an upper heater assembly and a lower heater assembly located within the casings. A pan is insertable into the cooking chamber so that the entire pizza is disposed between the upper and lower heater assemblies to cook the pizza. Again the size of the device is cumbersome or inefficient for a consumer as the upper and lower casings containing the heater assembly are sized so that an entire pizza can fit within the upper and lower casing.
What is needed is an apparatus which provides for fast, efficient cooking of a food item such as a pizza and which is convenient and efficient in a kitchen environment by having a relatively small footprint for easy use and storage. What is further needed is an apparatus for cooking a pizza or other food item in which the application of heat to the food item is applied in such a way to allow even cooking of the food item throughout the entire food item.
The present invention is directed to a cooking apparatus which allows for fast, efficient cooking of a food item such as a pizza while providing proportionate heating throughout the entire pizza to ensure that the entire pizza is cooked evenly and completely. The present invention further provides a cooking apparatus which has a small footprint for efficient use and storage by a consumer in a kitchen environment.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a cooking apparatus is provided which includes a rotatable food support member for retaining a food item thereon. A drive mechanism is connected to the food support member for rotating the food support member. The cooking apparatus further includes upper and lower housings disposed above and beneath the food support member. The upper and lower housings include an upper and lower heating member respectively with each of the upper and lower heating members providing a heat output which varies from a first end adjacent to an outer edge of the food support member to a second end adjacent to an inner center portion of the food support member. The heat output is greater at the first end than at the second end. The drive mechanism rotates the food support member with the upper and lower heating members applying heat to the food support member to cook the food item.
In one embodiment, the upper and lower housings define a substantially pie-shaped portion having a front end and diverging sides so as to cover a pie-shaped sector of the food support member. Preferably, the substantially pie-shaped portion of the food support member covered by the upper and lower housings is equal to or less than about one-quarter of the total area of the food support member. Preferably, the upper and lower heating members each provide a heat output which varies from a first end adjacent to an outer edge of the food support member to a second end adjacent to an inner center portion of the food support member so that the heat output is greater at the first end than at the second end. In such an embodiment, the drive mechanism rotates the food support member with the upper and lower heating members applying heat to a pie-shaped sector of the pizza or other food item carried by the food support member to cook the food item.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the rotatable food support member preferably comprises a solid base portion for supporting the food item such as a pizza. Preferably, the surface of the solid base portion of the food support member includes a series of interruptions in the surface such as a waffle pattern such that air pockets are created therein to assist in the browning of the crust of the pizza. Preferably, the food support member includes a downwardly extending annular rim which assists in retaining heat under the solid base portion of the food support member.
Pursuant to another aspect of the present invention, the upper and lower heating members preferably comprise metal sheathed heating elements and are arranged in a substantially pie-shaped orientation such that a greater portion of the heating elements are disposed toward the outer edge of the heating members than toward the front end of heating members adjacent the center of the food support member. Preferably, the upper and lower heating members are enclosed by an outer wall such that the heat is directed toward the food support member. In one embodiment, the annular rim of the food support member is disposed adjacent an outer edge portion of the outer wall of the lower heating member such that the heating element of the lower heating member is substantially enclosed between the food support member and the outer wall of the lower heating member.
The above-described features and advantages, along with various other advantages and features of novelty, are pointed out with particularity in the claims of the present application which form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part of the present application and to the accompanying descriptive matter in which there is illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.